Production of titanium oxids.



UNITED A STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

' FRANCISdi. FITZ GERALD AND PETER MEN. BENNIE, OF NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANYpA CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PRODUCTION OF TITANIUM OXIDS.

' 2 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

' Application filed November 18, 1907. Serial No. 402,632.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCIS A. J. Frrz GERALD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and PETER McN. BENNIE, a citizen of the United States, both residing at Niagara Falls, county of Niagara, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Productionof Titani-- um Oxids, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of, a process of treating titanium ore for the production of t1tan1um oxid, in particular, for the produc' tion of titanium oxid of a relatively high 'de-' gree of purity.

The process is of a general nature, andis applicable'to various complex oxids of iron and titanium,'but we have hereinafter described the process as applied to the titanium iron ore known as ilmenite.

, According to 'our invention the ore is crushed, and after a preliminary magnetic separation is mixed with a reducer, as carbon and heated to a temperature sufliciently high to reduce the iron, but not the titanium, to the metallic state. The metallic iron is subsequently removed by magnetic and acid treatments, The final product is an oxid of titanium of a high degree of purity.

ilmenite ore we may assume to have the approximateformula FeO.TiO It is an iron-black mineral of uneven cleavage, with a a specific g ravity of abdut 4-7 The ilmenite ore is often accompanied with considerable quantities of magnetite, the

magnetite occurring, soto speak, as a gangue. In order to concentrate the ilmenite as far as possible before furnace treatment, it is crushed in. order to mechanically free this magnetite from, the ilmenite. Advantage Y may then be taken of the magnetic proper- 'ties of the magnetite for a magnetic separa tion according to well-known methods. The

next'step m our process consists 'in mixing this purified ilmenite with the reducer, foi.

furnace treatment to bring about reduction of the iron. As a reducing agent we prefer to use petroleum coke. ThlSCOkG is prepared by'crushing and subsequent calciiation' inorder to remove volatile components.

The mixture should contain about 7 to 10.6 per cent. carbon; As will be seen from a consideration of the reactions involved within these limits, no definite proportion of ore and reducer is essential.

Assuming ilmenite to have the formula F eO. TiO and 7 .3 per cent. of carbonis used, the following reaction"will probably take place:

FeO.TiO,+ o Fe no, 00.

With the 10.6 per cent. of carbon the following reaction' may be expected:

As all that is necessary is to effect reduction of'the iron to the metallic state, the per centage of carbon may be such that both reactions oecur.

now placed in a suitable furnace. tric furnace built on the principle shown in United States Patent #792,255, Fitz Gerald process is by no means limited to this panticular style of furnace. For example, a form of arc furnace, or a crucible electric furnace, would readily adapt itself for the purpose. I,

:The charge is heated to a temperature sufoxid and a partial fusion of the charge. No exact temperature can be given for the re-' action but it is estimated to approximate -1800 centigrade. This temperature will give a sintered mass which may more easily be crushed than the compact, fused mass resulting from a higher temperature.

After removal from the'furnaee the Sill? tered' mass is crushed in order to mechanthe titanium oxid. The crushed mass is then powder. Its color changes to a yellowish hue u on igniti on in the air, and there is likewise The mixture of crushed ore and carbon is An elecand Bennie, will be found serviceable, but the ficiently high to effect a reduction of the iron v icallyfree the metallic particles of iron from runthrough a magnetic separator which reg 0 served an increase in weight. Accordingto our understanding these changes. ard due {to an oxidation of the partially reduced titanium oxid, as for example, an oxidation temperature of about 1800 degreesll, crushof Ti O to TiO The yellowish tint of the final product is probably given to it by the trace of remaining iron.

5 The final product will be found to be practically ure titanium oxid, less than one per cent. iron remaining as an impurity.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,- 1. The rocess which consists in subjecting crushed enite to the reducing action. of powdered carbon, producing a sintered mass therefrom, subsequently crushing the sintered mass, and removing the reduced iron from said mass.

2. The process, which consists in crushing a titanium iron ore, subjecting said ore to a reducing agent at a temperature high enough to reduce the iron but not the titanium, subse uently crushing the reduction product an removing the reduced iron.

3. The method which consists in magnet ically separating admixed iron ore from crushed titanium ore, partially reducing said ore with carbon, subsequently crushing the resulting sintered mass, and removing the reduced iron from said mass.

4. The rocess which consists in heating a mixture 0 carbon and crushed titanium or'e 30 containing iron to a temperature sufficient to reduce the iron oxid without completely reducing the titanium oxidwith the formation of a sintered mass, and subsequently segregating the titanium oxid.

5. The process which consists in heating a mixture of crushed ilmenite and carbon to a ing the resulting mass, and purifying the same by magnetic separation and acid treatment. I

6. The process which consists incrushing titaniferous-iron ore magnetically concentrating same, subjecting said ore to the reducing action of carbon at a temperature sufficiently high to efiect reduction of the iron oxid, in saidore but not sufficiently high to reduce the titanium oxid, crushing the product and magnetically purifying the same.

7. The process of obtaining titanium oXid which consists in mixing crushed titanium iron ore with suflicient carbon to completely reduce the iron, heating the mass to a temperature at which the iron, but not the titani um, is reduced to the metallic state, crushing the resulting mass, and removing the reduced lron.

8. The process of isolating the titanium oxid from an iron bearing titanium ore which consists in mixing the crushed ore with carbon of sufficient mass to completelyreduce the iron, but not the titanium, heating this mixture to a sintering temperature, crushing the sintered mass, andmagnetically removing the reduced iron.

In witness whereof, We have hereunto set our hands this fifteenth day of November,

FRANCIS A. J. FITZ GERALD. PETER MoN. BENNIE. Witnesses:

MARY JAMES, CHARLES MAURICE Frrz GERALD. 

